By Sam Rowlands

MS for North Wales

It’s back to school time for Members of the Senedd, and this week I’m back in Cardiff Bay after the summer recess.

It means I’ll be back taking part in debates and putting Welsh Government Ministers on the spot in question periods.

Despite restarting my weekly trips down to Cardiff, my mind is never away from North Wales and the concerns of people in our part of the world.

The Welsh Government do need reminding about the priorities for North Wales, particularly regarding the health service and transport links among other issues.

Sadly, too many of these issues keep cropping up again and again without any resolution by the Welsh Government. The management of Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board is one of those, and it’s clear that it isn’t being run well from the top down despite the hard work of doctors, nurses and other health professionals across North Wales.

To that end, I’d like to know what your priorities are for the new Senedd year.

What should Members of the Senedd be focusing on?

What are your big issues that you want us to address?

You can find my email address at the bottom of this article, and it would be great to hear from you.

The biggest difference from the last Senedd year is a change in leadership – Wales has a new First Minister in Eluned Morgan, and she recently appointed her permanent Cabinet after an interim set of Ministers during the last month or so.

Some of the old faces are back - Mark Drakeford has been made Finance Minister – and there is no place for Vaughan Gething who was forced to step down as First Minister.

For the most part, they are the same people who have run the Welsh Government for years and years. I don’t expect much real change to take place, and I do worry what that means for areas like health and education where Wales is lagging behind other parts of the United Kingdom.

There is a lot to be said for stability, but Wales needs stability to go hand in hand with an effective Government that focuses on the needs of the people who live here.

As ever, if you have any issues or queries then do get in touch with me via email - my address is sam.rowlands@senedd.wales